Can We Be A Family?
by Nicole Lo
Summary: Shakira has lived throught the classic Cinderella story minus the happy ending. Instead she got Horzion, a place that gives you a change to grow and move on. The only thing that's holding her back is her past.
1. Default Chapter

Can We Be A Family? By: Nicole Lopez  
  
I watched my father pick her up. She was the newest addition to the Veliz family, curly black hair all over her head. There she was, baby Mariah, the pride and joy of this family. Tears spilled over my face. I have never seen my parents happier in their life. They didn't even notice my existence, unless it was to get something for the baby.  
  
Her angelic features and innocent gestures captured me too, and instantly I knew that I loved her. It wasn't something that you would say to your parents to make them feel good, this was true sibling love. I sighed. As much as I loved baby Mariah I hated her at the same time. Millions of questions ran through my mind.  
  
Why didn't they treat me like that? What had I done wrong? She was born on January 8th, my very own birthday, and yet I didn't even receive a happy birthday. I couldn't figure out which was worse, being completely ignored as if I didn't exist or being loathed. "Shakira!" I heard my mother yell. The baby was crying and she wanted me to make her stop. I was the only one out of the whole family who could get her to stop crying. It seemed like there was something about me that only she saw.  
  
My mother roughly thrust her into my arms. "Hurry up." She snarled as Mariah's eyes shined up, as she reached for one of my dangling hoops.  
  
I took her hand in mine instead and sang her a song about raisins and almonds. "Where'd you learn that?" My father asked inquisitively.  
  
"In piano class." I explained to him.  
  
"Well, cut it out. No one wants to hear that shit." He mumbled.  
  
"Not around the baby." Ralene took it upon herself to snatch the baby out of my arms just as she started to get sleepy. I waited, hoping that Mariah would start to cry again or need a fresh diaper. I was in desperate need of the happy emotion she gave me. She made me forget about all my meaningless problems. "What are you waiting around here for? Go to bed you piece of." Her voice trailed off.  
  
I didn't even give her the satisfaction of showing my true feelings. My face remained unchanged in emotion. Slowly, I trudged up the stairs thankful to finally have a little time to myself, time to be at peace. However, it wasn't long until Ralene and Julio started yelling. I thought that the baby would bring them closer together and make us more of a "family" but apparently not. I sighed. You can't make a judgment by one bad experience.  
  
But this experience was followed by many others that resembled it. Mariah grew up quickly and the five year age gap began to take it's toll. She was no longer the angel that I thought she was. Constant gifts and tokens were given to her in order to stop her cries seeing that I was barely around anymore. I did everything I could to avoid being home. I joined every sport and after school activity I could, even cheerleading, which I always hated.  
  
Anything was better than returning home to Mariah's temper tantrums and Julio's constant need to beat on something, me more than anyone. When asked what my life was like at home I mad up elaborate stories including family game-night, which I hated, constant trips to amusement parks, and two older brothers who were also non-existent in this household. But most of the time, I didn't say anything about them. I hated lying to people and by pretending that my family was the Brady Bunch, I was lying to myself. It is true that I have many siblings, but my older brothers were the smart ones. They left as soon as they turned fifteen - they're living with aunt Donna.  
  
  
  
"You never mention your family." Augie commented during the middle of English class one day. We were suppose to be working on our Othello projects, but either he or myself found ourselves engulfed in a deep conversation.  
  
"What do you want to know?"  
  
"I don't mean to pry ." Augie started writing something hastily.  
  
"My family's not the best topic." He looked at me strangely. Remembering all the lies I had told about how much we loved each other, I had to recover. "After all, I'm here on account of them."  
  
"At least you know that you're loved by them."  
  
"What do you mean?" I wondered.  
  
"They wouldn't send you here if they didn't care just a little."  
  
I smiled. "I never thought of it that way before." In his case that might be true, but my parents just wanted to get rid of me. There were already nine children running around before my oldest sister, Thalia had children numbers ten and eleven. Yes, they were twins. A new baby boy and baby girl, which meant more mouths to feed. I was the first to go, at the bottom of the list.  
  
"What about your family?" I asked him.  
  
"Now that is a long story." Scott jumped in, bringing his partner Juliet. There was still some type of tension between him and Shelby, yet I couldn't figure out why. Whatever the reason, Shelby wasn't too happy to see him with Juliet.  
  
'Whatcha guys talking about?" Juliet gave us a huge smile, with gums and all. It was a little scary, to be perfectly honest.  
  
"Family."  
  
"Oh." She seemed disinterested. Juliet turned her attention away from us.  
  
Thank you, Scott mouthed to us. "Did I miss something?"  
  
"Scott's been trying to get her off his back for days now." Augie filled me in.  
  
"That's odd."  
  
(A/N: I only have one thing to say--- review. I need at least two reviews before I put up the next section. By the way, the second Lord of the Rings movie is good, but the first one was better. -NL) 


	2. Part Two

Part Two  
  
"I don't know what the big deal is . love? Love's a joke. The only person that anyone ever looks out is for number one." Daisy explained.  
  
"Well, I know for a fact that you're wrong." Juliet answered in a sugary sweet voice.  
  
"And ho do you know that she's wrong?" Shakira wondered, gathering up her clothing and picking out something for the next day.  
  
"Don't tell me you're actually agreeing with her," Shelby said in disbelief.  
  
"Is there something that we should know?" Katherine added. Shakira broke eye contact with her and starting rearranging things, to make it seem like she was preoccupied. In all honesty, she didn't want to answer the question. She knew all too well how the pursuit of love could led to evil, unbearable things.  
  
"No." She finally mumbled.  
  
"You're wrong." Juliet commented. "Love ." She sighed. "I already know who I'm going to marry." All the girls stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on Juliet.  
  
"Who?" Kat wondered, even though she had a good idea of who it was.  
  
"Scott Barringer." Daisy rolled her eyes.  
  
"He is such a babe." Shelby proclaimed, putting on a "Valley Girl" accent. The other girls laughed as Juliet started to draw hearts with Juliet and Scot forever .  
  
"Can you believe that?" Kat laughed, nudging Shakira, who forced a smile on her face. What she did in the name of "love." Shakira shivered.  
  
"What's up ladies!" Augie yelled walking into the girl's room followed by Scott, Ezra, Noah and Shakira's cousin Enrique.  
  
"Great, the whole crew is here." Shelby mumbled to Daisy.  
  
"My cue to exit." Daisy responded as soon as she saw Ezra. Ever since David left, never to return, the drama between the two of them has simmered, but feelings were hurt and hearts were broken.  
  
  
  
"Where are you going?" Ezra followed Daisy out the room.  
  
"Anywhere where you aren't."  
  
"I got you a birthday present." He continued to talk.  
  
"How sweet." Daisy said with fake cheeriness. "Too bad it's about eight months too late."  
  
"I would've given it to you sooner, but-"  
  
"Save it. Keep the gift . Ezra, go away." Daisy kept walking. She wrapped her gray wind breaker closer to her body. The breeze had suddenly become unpleasant, just like the mood.  
  
Ezra walked back to the girl's bunk, disappointed. He didn't exactly expect Daisy to take him back with open arms, but he was hoping for something . more.  
  
  
  
"Scott." Juliet squeaked, running into his arms and giving him a huge hug as if she hadn't seen him for years. He half-heartedly hugged her back, noticing that Shelby was completely ignoring him. They had made amends and attempted to get along, which still wasn't going too well, but she was sending him mixed signals.  
  
"I've missed you." She passionately kissed him. This got Shelby's attention and Scott returned the gesture.  
  
"You know what? I'll catch you guys later." Shelby got up. "Daisy had the right idea." She mumbled under her breath. Scott's eyes followed her, even though he was pretending to be wrapped up in Juliet.  
  
"Things aren't looking too good." Noah commented in his thick Canadian accent.  
  
"Tell me about it." Kat added. "Why won't they both just admit that they like each other?"  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Shakira was wrapped up in her own problems. Seeing her cousin just heightened her reality. In a few months, she would be joining her family for a collection of holidays; Thanksgiving, Eid, and even Christmas. "Thinking about Jorge?" Enrique asked.  
  
"No, I haven't thought about him in a while." She lied. After the hell he put her through . let's just say that nothing could make her forget.  
  
"He really loves you, you know."  
  
"Someone that truly loves you wouldn't do what he did to me." Shakira replied. "Ha- have you been talking to him?" Her fear shone through with each word she said.  
  
"Yes. Give him another chance." Shakira rolled her eyes.  
  
"I will not give him another chance. Do you know what he did to me? People go to prison for shit like that!" Shakira yelled, her voice rising, out of control.  
  
"Shakira ." Enrique's voice trailed off as they both realized that all the conversations had stopped. All attention was focused on Shakira.  
  
"Excuse me." She mumbled, weaving her way through the other Cliffhangers and into the cool crystal air. The icy cool air brought to her a calmness . a serene feeling.  
  
"Hello Shakira ." She didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. That voice would haunt her forever.  
  
(A/N: This chapter wasn't much, but I'll have to think about where I want to go with it. I got two reviews, so I've updated. It would've been on ff.net but my sister hogged up the computer. Thanks, and keep reviewing! -NL) 


	3. Part Three: I Won’t Need Anybody

* * *

**Part Three: I Won't Need Anybody Telling Me that I Can't**

* * *

(A/N: Enrique is also Augie's really good friend.)

"It all makes sense now. Enrique brought you here." Shakira kept her voice thin and steady trying not to show weakness. Jorge fed on weakness.

"I came to see you. Don't you want to see me?" He wondered looking at her, just as confidently as before. She could tell that Jorge hadn't changed, not at all.

"Isn't it obvious? Why are you here?" Shakira begged, crossing her arms over her chest and pinching her cheeks together like she always seemed to do when she knew something bad was coming her way.

"I want to be with you." He whispered in her ear, crossing the line and touching her … that's all it took. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." Shakira answered back, her anger from earlier completely dissolved by the feeling of Jorge's chest to her back.

"And I know it's complicated."

"It is." Shakira agreed.

"But it doesn't have to be."

"How so?"

"We can make a good future together." Jorge offered. He was so good at this, spinning ideas into Shakira's mind. He did it so well that sometimes she thought that she had come up with the thought when it was really his. At least that's what everyone told her that he did. She only saw a little bit of bad in him and the good was way too good to pass up.

"Count me in." She gave in, turning her head slightly so that he could kiss her. Today, this day, this night could completely be worth the repercussions of tomorrow.

* * *

**

Scott sat outside the cafeteria, watching the entire scene unfold. He saw Shakira and this guy who was apparently her boyfriend. He saw how much her whole stance changed once she saw him and how she kissed him …

The only thing he could feel was pure jealously. Jealously because he didn't have that anymore. He used to have it … with Shelby, but for now all he could do was watch in the shadows until he snapped out of it and stopped living in the past.

"Enjoying the view?" Augie wondered as Scott jumped up, startled.

"Man, you scared the shit out of me." Scott grumbled as memories of his past were decimated.

"Why are you stalking Shaki?"

"I'm not stalking her. I'm just making sure she's okay."

"Okay, that's complete bull and I think I look out for her well enough."

"Don't get all Peter on me Augie."

"I won't … unless there's something else there. Wait a second do you … do you have feelings for Shakira?"

Scott hesitated to contemplate the situation. If he said no, then Augie would keep digging until he found out that it was Shelby he still loved, but if he said yes …

"Just don't say anything … not to anyone."

"I won't but … why string Jules along like that man? She doesn't deserve it." Augie crossed his arms over his chest looking angry.

"I know, but it's just easier this way. You know Jules, she'll be crushed and I don't want her to have another episode."

"So you're with her out of pity?! You know some people would kill to…" Augie's voice trailed off and he started to calm down.

"So we're in the same situation. We both want to be with someone we can't." Scott sighed, thinking about Shelby the entire time.

* * *

**

"I feel … worried. I don't know what's going to happen in the future and it scares me." Scott started, looking at the ground.

"I feel … blissful." Shakira countered with a smile then quickly tried to recover. "I'm finally going where I want to go in life and I see it happening."

"I feel concerned … because Scott feels worried and I don't want him to be." Juliet looked over at her boyfriend, wanting to hold his hand and comfort him, but unable to.

"I feel like I don't want to play this 'I feel' game anymore. We're all hiding our true feelings behind one little word and it's ridiculous. I don't feel one thing, I feel many things and I know for a fact that everyone else does too." Shelby answered heatedly in a manner that meant a one-on-one session with Peter.

* * *

**

"Okay. Now we're going to do a trust exercise." Peter announced on their bi-monthly excursion a week later.

"How many of these things do we have to do?" Daisy asked in monotone, pretty sure that whatever groups they were divided into, she would somehow get matched with Ezra. Kate and Peter always magically put together the people that had the most unresolved issues.

"Where's your group spirit?" Juliet wondered even though she had sprained her ankle while on kitchen duty or something … but she had insisted on coming here anyway which was completely annoying Daisy.

"Remind me again why she's here?" Daisy whispered to Shelby who just clenched her jaw with pure hatred. Juliet was on Happyland 24/7 and Shelby could never stand it and she thought that Scott couldn't either.

"Let's not focus on her. All we have to do is tune out her screechy little voice and keep Peter off our backs."

"Not likely girls." Peter leaned in towards the two girls to let them know that he heard the last part. "It seems we have our first volunteer … Shelby."

"Of course." Daisy shrugged at her sympathetically while Shelby prepared herself for the trust fall.

"Line up every other person … Scott I want you … here." Peter placed him in the front.

After the first fall, Shelby could feel Scott's body flinch a little, but luckily he only held part of her body. Augie and Shakira seemed to be carrying her weight. With the second, she felt Scott's around wrapping around her back and soon enough a sharp impact sent them both to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Scott whispered to her kindly even though he had been the one to take the fall. Stunned, Shelby just nodded ignoring the fact that she was close enough to smell again. Whoever said, 'time heals everything' was a big fat liar.

* * *

**

Augie was watching him and he knew it. That little lie had gotten out of hand and now he had to make a pass at Shakira with Juliet and Shelby potentially seeing it and freaking out. At least they were in paired tents now which meant that having 5 girls in the group was a good thing. It meant Shakira had a tent to herself.

"I'm heading out to see … you know." Scott whispered to Augie, rushing out quickly and tapping on the outside of her tent.

"Coming." Shakira announced. When she saw me, him her face showed a look of surprise. "Not the boy I was expecting."

"Yeah, I thought you'd be bored in here so …" Scott's voice trailed off as she shrugged and showed him the magazine she was reading. "Cosmopolitan? Isn't that forbidden?"

"If I can't have a relationship here I might as well ready about other people's adventures." She explained.

"So … what's in that anyway?"

"Oh, you want to know the hype? There's nothing to it … make-up tips and boy advice."

"Oh." Scott responded, running out of things to say. That was weird because the two of them never had a problem talking about absolutely nothing. He decided that the problem was him. "So … who were you expecting."

"Now that is private information." Shakira tossed aside the recycled scraps of paper she had been reading. "How long have you been here?"

"Since I was almost 16 … what does that have to do with anything?"

"You're used to it." Shakira nodded, certain that she was right.

"Used to what?"

"You're used to not being able to touch someone or kiss them or even hug them. I feel emotionally deprived here."

"How is that possible? All we do is sit around and talk about how we feel. Or have you forgotten already girl?"

"It's not the same. Asking me to be this way is like asking me not to breathe or want to drink something or want to … I don't know. It's not real."

"Maybe not but that's Horizon."

"So Scott … what's the recovery rate?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You've been here since you were 'almost sixteen.'" She mocked him. "So do people make it or not?"

"Sometimes."

"Sometimes? So that's like fifty-fifty right? You make it and I don't. You go back to being normal and I get my boyfriend back."

"So that's what this is about?"

"Isn't it always about that? Love …" Shakira sighed. "Here's the thing … I'm really glad you're here tonight, but in a couple of days Jorge is coming to meet me here."

"How's that possible?"

"The same way that I get Cosmo magazines and sell cigarettes to kids here. It just does … anyway, I need you and Augie to cover for me."

"No."

"No? Why not? You have Jules. Let me have a night with him."

"I don't think he's any good for you."

"And what would you know about it?" Shakira challenged as Scott racked his brain for something. He couldn't tell her that he and Augie had looked at her file, saw the naked pictures and everything. That would piss her off, anyone would be mad.

"Nothing …What's your plan for getting away from Peter?" Scott asked instead. It was no use fighting it.

"We're meeting in the mountains."

"Okay … I'll wait with you until he gets here so you don't get lost or abandoned."

"He'd never leave me. We're in love."

"No … you just want the physical touch, remember?"

* * *

**

As Shakira and Scott took the opposite path, she started having doubts. It was taking her a lot longer to get there, much longer than she had imagined.

"This is taking forever." She commented as Scott nodded, breathing heavily.

"We're almost there."

"You said that twenty minutes ago. I think you're lost."

"I'm not … I've run away here before, many times."

"What for?"

"To get away. What else?"

"Did you ever go here … with Jules?"

"No … Shelby." Scott narrowed his eyes and focused his attention on the road ahead. No use looking back now, not when he had gone so far.

"Shelby? Is that why you two--"

"Don't make me talk about it. I get enough therapy back in Horizon."

"So you loved her? So that explains why you're here … with me." Shakira smiled, trying to walk in step with him and in the process she took a small tumble, which didn't seem like a big deal at the time … until she felt an excruciating pain in her left wrist. "Help me up. Let's keep going."

"We can't."

"I'll survive."

"No, it's getting dark. If we don't turn back now, we'll have to wait until the morning and you're really hurt."

"I want to see him."

* * *

Next time:

Find out what's in Shakira's folder and someone else's too … plus more surprises

(A/N: I've been hiatus from this story for YEARS. I just re-read what I wrote and decided to continue with some of my old writings. Hopefully someone's reading. Let me know in a review! –NL)


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